Illuminated sign.



P. L. FERGUSON & J. W. WHEELWRIGHT.

ILLUMINATED SIGN. APPLICATION FILED SEPT.13,1912.

Patented Oct. 21. 1913.

2 SHEETSSHEET l.

P. L. FERGUSON & J. W. WHEELWRIGHT. ILLUMINATED SIGN.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT.13, 1912.

1,076,566. Patented 001.21, 1913 2 SHBETS-SHEET 2.

awvcwtow 0 0/0 a wm 1 "t lNITED STATES PA TENT OFFICE.

PETER LEE FERGUSON AND JOSEPH \V. WHEELVRIGHT, F OGDEN, UTAH.

ILLUMINATED SIGN.

1 omm-e.

It) all /10/11. it may concern Be it known that we, Pn'ri-iu hm: Fnnoi'sox and {losnrn W. \Vnnnn'wmotrr, citizens of the United States, residing at Ogden, in the county of lVeber and State of Utah, have invented new and useful Improvements in Illuminated Signs, of which the following is} a specifica tion.

The invention relates to signs and has for an object to provide an illuminated sign. The invention relates more partit'zularly to signs used in connection with vehicles such as automobiles or motorcycles for permanently displaying the number of the vehicle in the night season.

The invention consists primarily of a boxlike structure having stencil characters representing the number of the vehicle thereon, the mentioned structure being mounted on the vehicle adjacent. the taillight thereof with means on the structure for connection with the tail-light whereby the stencil characters on the structure will be illuminated when connection is made with the light.

In the further disclosure of the invention reference is to be had to the drawings, constituting a part of this specification, in which similar characters of retcrencc denote corresponding parts in all the views, and in which:

Figure 1 is a front elevation of the device, showing the flexible hood in connected position; Fig. 2 is a plan view showing the llexible hood in connected position in full lines and in disconnected position in dotted lines; Fig. 3 is a horizontal sectional view taken on the line 3---3 in Fig. l Fig. -.l is a verti cal transverse sectional view taken on the line 44 in F g. I; and Fig. 5 is a vertical transverse sectional view taken on the line 5--5 in Fig. l.

Referring more particularly to the views, we employ a casing 10 having the front thereof open. a suitable clamp 11 being extended from the rear side of the casing and encircling an upwardly extending arm l1 formed at one end of a bracket. 11 supported on a bearing 1,1, secured to the rear of a vehicle, the other end of the bracket 11 being bent upwardly to form an arm 11 shown in Fig. 2, the mentioned arm ll being similar to the arm 11" with a screw li passing throngh the clamp 11 and engaging the arm 11 to rigidly secure the clamp thereto, thus supporting theeasing 10 Specification of Letters Patent. Application filed September 13, 1912.

actaaupanying l l l 1 l blo hood Patented Oct. 21, 1 913. Serial No. 720,232.

rigidly on the rear of the vehicle. A series of vertically extending H-shaped members 19 are arranged in spaced relation to extend across the front of the casing, the said H- shaped members bein secured to the up )01' and lower walls of tie casing and forming slides 13 for .slidably recelving number lates 14 as shown in Fig. 3, thesaid nuur iier plates being independently removable from the casing and of a stencil nature, the characters or numbers being cut out of the plates so that when the interior of the casmg 10 is illun'iinatcd the numbers will be readily visible. The number plates 14 are preferably stamped from sheet material and each has formed at the upper end thereof an apertured flange 15, spaced cars 16 being mounted on the upper wall of the casing 10 and provided with apertures adapted to register with the apertures of the flanges 15 when the number plates 14 are mounted in position on the easing l0 bolts 17 being passed transversely through the registering apertures ot' the flanges 15 am ears 16 to secure the number plates ll in rigid position on the casing. it being readily understood that the flanges 15 also form holders or handles whereby, when the bolts 17 are removed from the flanges and ears the inunber plates can be readily removed from the casing 10. it being tint-her seen that the lower ends of the number plates abut against the l wer wall or bottom of the casing. thus limiting the downward sliding movement of the number plates on the casing.

An opening 18 is formed in one end 19 of the. casing 10 and formed with the. end ll) and encircling the opening 18 is an outwardly projecting circular flange 20 adapt ed to bc encircled by the inner end oi atic-Xi- Ql, the said hood being rigidly sceured to the. flange 20 by a band 22 arranged to encircle the inner end of the flexible hood 91 after the same has been mounted to encircle the flange 20, the ends of the said band 22 being bent laterally to receive a screw 23 transversely therethrough so that the band can be rigidly clamped in position preferred nonstruction and having the usual red glass facing rearwardly, constitutingil danger signal.

The tail-lamp 26 is provided with a clamp 5 26 encircling the arm 11 and rigidly secured thereto by a screw 26* having connection with the clamp 26 and engaging the arm 11 as shown, it-being thus seen that the casing and tail-lamp 26 are support-,

10 ed on the single bracket 11.

It will now be seen that when it is desired to illuminate the casing 10 to display the characters on the plates 14, the outer end of the flexible hood 21 is slipped over the bulls 15 eye 25, the said hood being retained in clamping engagement with the bulls eye by the spring-like ring 24, the mentioned hood being preferably made flexible so that the same can be readily disconnected from the bulls eye and also to permit the lighting of the tail-lamp 26 withoutdisturbing the easing 10, particularly when the bulls eye is mounted to swing on the tail-lamp and constitutes the closure therefor. The interior of the casing 10 is preferably painted white to form a suitable reflector so that When' the hood is connected to the tail-lamp in tide manner mentioned, the characters'on t 1e number plates 14 will be illuminated so 30 to be clearly visible. By mounting the number plates independently on the casing 10 the same can be independently removed for the purpose of changing the numbers or inserting, new number plates, and by refer ring to the ziows it will he noted that (:lt'll 3 number plate is independently secured in rigid position on the casing by means of the bolts 17, in the manner mentioned heretofore.

Having thus described our invention, We 4: claim:

1. In combination. a hollow sign an illuminating member. for the sign, and disposed in longitudinal ulinement therewith,

a flexible hood circular in cross section secured to the sign and illuminating member, said hood directing the light rays from the illuminating member to the interimof the sign.

2. In combination, a hollow sign having so an open end, an illuminating member for the sign disposed in longitudinal alinement with the open end thereof, and a flexible hood having one end secured to the open end of the sign and its other end secured to the illuminating member, said hood directing the light rays from the illuminating member into the open end of the sign.

In testimony whereof we affix our signa tures in presence of two witnesses.

PETER liIClG l l) llli USUN. JOSEPH W. WHEEIAVRIGll'l,

\Vitnesses JAMES H. ADAMS, D. R. Vvnsmmvnrom. 

